Top Seeded: Seeds to Increase Speed

Need a power boost? Toss these gems into your next meal

by Liz Applegate

6 of 7

Flax

Just 30g supplies more than 100 per cent of your daily dose of omega-3 fatty acids – and about 10 times more lignans (both of these help cut your risk of heart disease) than any other seed or vegetable.

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Chia seeds are great with some agave nectar and the juice of a lime - trick is not to make 'em too thick and mix them the night before so they've got time to soak up the water. I've never had a stitch when using chia seeds...
Posted: 12/06/2012 at 20:29

I leave chia seeds to soak in water (stir first though) and if in an air tight container in the fridge they last for a week. I add them to my cereal most mornings. Alison - I buy my chia seeds from buywholefoodsonline.com because they are cheaper there than in H&B! There may be other wholefood shops in your area that sell them so have a hunt.

nomeatathlete.com is a good source of recipes for chia seeds - I make sort of flapjack with dates; chia seeds; agave nectar; etc and find them useful on long runs rather than energy gels etc.

I used to soak mine and add the gel to my porridge and honey every morning, but now I just sprinkle a spoon on and mix it in. If you use them dry, they will still absorb liquid from what ever you put them in, including your stomach, so extra fluid either in the porridge or as a drink is useful. They take up 6-7 times their volume in liquid over 20-30 mins.

My partner gets them in a local health food shop, but only pays £2.67 per 250g, some places do charge the earth for them! seen them double that price before

We also sprinkle them on veg roasts and pretty much everything we cook now! Well, ok, Roni does, not so much we ...

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